3 trades the Cubs should make

In 2012, shortly after Theo Epstein was put in charge of the club's baseball operations department, the Chicago Cubs posted the second-worst record in the National League, at 61-101. They lost 96 games the following season, too, and finished 73-89 the year after. Even for a team with an identity forged by failure, things weren't fun, though Epstein had faith his rebuild would eventually pay dividends.

Now, as the 2016 season looms, the Cubs might be the best team in all of baseball, triumphantly revitalized and fresh off a trip to the National League Championship Series. Boasting an enviable collection of assets primed to keep the Cubs competitive both now and well into the future, Epstein doesn't really need to make a trade, but let's take a look at three moves that might make some sense for the National League's burgeoning juggernaut.

Cubs trade Javier Baez and Chris Coghlan to Rays for Jake Odorizzi

Baez may one day realize the potential myriad scouts once raved about, but it probably won't happen in Chicago, with Addison Russell and Kris Bryant entrenched on the left side of the infield and Ben Zobrist now set to handle second base. Though there's ample reason for Tampa Bay to hang onto Odorizzi - he's only 25 and was one the best starters in baseball last season - he's going to start getting expensive real soon. Rather than pay the right-hander arbitration-mandated salaries through what could be some lean years, the Rays should take a chance on Baez, a former top prospect with a huge power ceiling and six years of team control left. Coghlan, meanwhile, will give Tampa Bay an asset to move at the trade deadline for a prospect.

Cubs trade Kyle Schwarber to Indians for Carlos Carrasco

There's little doubt that Schwarber is going to hit - like, seriously hit - at the MLB level. But if his future lies in left field rather than behind the plate - and with Miguel Montero under contract through 2017, that seems increasingly likely - he's not quite as indispensable as some might think; only 10 corner outfielders who played below-average defense managed more than 3 WAR last season, after all. Carrasco, though, has quietly emerged as an elite starter, posting a 2.63 FIP with the fourth-best whiff rate in the majors (min. 150 IP) since 2014. The Indians won't want to let him go, especially with that team-friendly contract he's on, but with their considerable rotation depth, they won't be able to turn down a blossoming star who won't hit free agency until after 2021.

Cubs trade Jorge Soler, Javier Baez, Miguel Montero to Marlins for Jose Fernandez

Plenty of risk exists here for both sides, but with Soler still yet to realize his potential (not to mention his dubious injury history), along with Baez's redundancy in Chicago, the Cubs wouldn't be completely crazy to deal the two youngsters and their catcher to Miami to form the best rotation in the league. Montero's departure would allow Schwarber to slide back in at catcher, too, with Coghlan filling the vacant hole in left field, and Epstein could use the savings from the deal to bring back Dexter Fowler to play center in lieu of newcomer Jason Heyward. The infusion of talent would be huge for the Marlins, as well, who reportedly have a dicey relationship with Fernandez and will almost certainly lose the recently recovered right-hander to free agency three years from now.